When McKenzie had come to Pine Haven, she had sent a brief telegram to inform her parents of her safe arrival. She hadn’t yet taken the time to write them. She figured now was as good a time as any, especially since she was missing them and felt the need to vent her feelings. So, she opened one of her trunks and pulled out some stationery and a pencil. Then, sitting at the little wooden table, she began to write.
Dearest Mother and Father,
I hope this letter finds you well. As for me, I am nothing short of miserable. I don’t even know where to begin.
First of all, there is something I need to tell you. I’ll not go into detail now, but I am now a married woman. Please do not be alarmed, as this is only a marriage of convenience with a man who wanted a mail-order bride; it will last only until I find Kaydie. I know Father will find it fitting to annul it once I return to Boston.
Zach, the man I married, seems to find it fitting to make ridiculous demands of me. He fails to treat me kindly and expects me to live in a home that is worse than those inhabited by poverty-stricken folks in Boston. I have no friends here, and there are no modern conveniences. In short, I don’t know how much longer I can remain on this temporary adventure I have decided to undertake.
I have not yet located Kaydie, but I hope to place a posting in town and inquire of as many people as possible about whether they know of her whereabouts. I keep hoping that I will find her soon, for her sake as much as for mine.
Yet, as bad as things are, I again ask that you not come for me.
Please tell Biddie, Nellie, and Helen hello for me.
Your daughter,
McKenzie
PS: I might as well tell you now that there is no woman named Isadora Jones. The person I was writing to wasn’t a destitute mother, but the man I married, Zach Sawyer.
Later that day, McKenzie accompanied Rosemary to town on some errands. Her first stop was the post office, where she handed her letter to Mr. Victor to mail. The sooner someone else knew of her plight, the better.
***
The following weekend, everyone on the ranch went to church together on Sunday. Zach assisted McKenzie onto the wagon seat beside him, and Davey, Rosemary, Asa, and Jonah climbed into the back of the wagon.
The congregants meandered up the stairs of the church, each shaking Reverend Eugene’s hand on their way inside. McKenzie followed Zach and sat down in a pew between him and Davey. Earlier that morning, her family would have attended the service at their own church in Boston. Suddenly, she missed those Sunday mornings at church, which were usually followed by an afternoon meal at the home of close friends. She knew no such thing would be occurring in Pine Haven today.
“Welcome to Pine Haven Chapel,” Reverend Eugene said when the service began. “Would you all rise and join me in signing hymn number fifty-eight, ‘The Solid Rock’?”
McKenzie watched as those around her reached for the hymnals scattered about in the pews and opened them. Zach leaned closer to McKenzie to share his hymnal with her.
As Myrtle began to play the tune on the piano, the people lifted up their voices to the Lord, singing, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.”
McKenzie had always sung along with the hymns at church, yet, the music had never moved her much. Like the tradition of going to church, it was just another ritual that had to be observed every Sunday before she could go about her other activities.
When the hymn ended with an amen, Reverend Eugene asked that everyone sit down and join him in prayer. “Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to meet here today to worship You. What a blessing it is that we have the freedom to do so. Please prepare each heart for the sermon I am about to deliver and enable me to deliver that message in a way that is pleasing to You. It is in Your precious name that we pray, amen.” Reverend Eugene looked out at the congregation and smiled. “It is nice to see all of you here today. I would like to take a minute to welcome a new person to our fellowship. Mrs. Zachary Sawyer, would you please stand?”
Feeling nausea rise within her, McKenzie slowly stood to her feet. “Welcome, Mrs. Sawyer. We are so blessed to have you here. As many of you know, this dear lady married our own Zach Sawyer last week. Please make her feel welcome.”
“Thank you,” McKenzie said, her voice barely audible. She sat back down and attempted to conceal the quick, shallow breathing that had overtaken her. Had she ever been welcomed in such a way before as she was continually being welcomed in Pine Haven? No. Not even at the tea parties and balls did anyone give a second thought that she was in attendance. Yet, here, people seemed to genuinely care that she was now a part of their town. She stifled the tears that threatened to come. If they only knew her real reason for being here, and what she intended to do once her goal was accomplished, she doubted they’d be so glad to have her in their midst. If she had come to Pine Haven without an ulterior motive, she would have been humbled by the outpouring of kindness. She might even have come to like the people of the town and cultivate friendships with them. After all, they had given her a warmer welcome and more ready acceptance than anyone else ever had.
Zach patted McKenzie on the arm. He spoke no words, but she could see in his eyes a mixture of compassion and hope. She realized that she hadn’t thought about or appreciated anyone other than herself for a long time, and, now, she thought of the man beside her. A man who had been nothing but kind to her. If only she could be what he wanted her to be. If only she could stay with him and love him in the way he deserved. If only….
“Please turn in your Bibles with me to Proverbs ten, verse twelve,” Reverend Eugene said, interrupting McKenzie’s thoughts. The sounds of pages turning prompted her to begin leafing through the pages of her own Bible. She had no idea where the book of Proverbs was, or that it even existed. The pages in her Bible were crisp from lack of use and difficult to turn one at a time. Her fingers didn’t want to work, and she felt embarrassed being the only one still struggling to find the passage Reverend Eugene had mentioned.
Zach had found the Old Testament book with apparent ease. He looked over at her, flipping futilely through the pages. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile sympathetically. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, “McKenzie, may I help you find it?”
She nodded, embarrassed and grateful at the same time, and Zach lifted her Bible, placed it in his lap, and turned to the correct page before handing the book back to her.
“Thank you, Zach,” McKenzie whispered.
Zach nodded and turned back toward Reverend Eugene.
McKenzie looked down at Zach’s Bible, open on his lap. She’d seen the cover earlier—although it likely had once been stiff, it was now bent in places and worn all over. Inside his Bible, the pages were wrinkled and yellowed. Pencil marks underlined certain verses, as if to make them stand out. Perhaps, the next time she was in town, McKenzie would purchase a new Bible for Zach. Maybe that could be her wedding gift to him.
“Proverbs ten, verse twelve, states, ‘Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.’ I want us to consider this verse for a moment. Solomon, who is credited with writing most of Proverbs, gives us insightful clues on how to live in a manner pleasing to our Lord. We all know someone who, at one time or another, has stirred up trouble….”
As the reverend went on, McKenzie was convicted like never before about the times when she had stirred up strife. She wished that she could disappear, so that no one would see her shame, which surely was obvious. As she listened to Reverend Eugene speak about the importance of love, she realized that she was unaccustomed to reading and really thinking about God’s Word. She was unfamiliar with 95 percent of what the Bible taught, for rarely had she turned the pages of her book.
McKenzie swallowed hard. How many times had she started arguments with Peyton? Could the letter she’d sent to her parents become a means of causing strife with her and Zach if he found out about it? Her heart felt heavy, yet she did not know how to ease her discomfort.
In the week since the wedding, Zach had asked McKenzie each night if she’d care to join him on the porch to spend time with the Lord. And, each night, she’d refused. However, after hearing Reverend Eugene’s sermon that morning, McKenzie wanted to learn more about the Bible and the God she claimed to worship. So, this time, when Zach extended the invitation, she accepted.
The first thing she wanted to know was why he “spent time with the Lord” every night.
“I spend time every night with the Lord, reading His Word and praying, because the Lord has been so good to me,” Zach began. “He sent His Son to die for me in my place, and He didn’t have to do that.” He paused for a moment. “He has blessed me beyond measure. He gave me a son, good friends, a roof over my head, food, and He gave me you.” Zach reached over and squeezed McKenzie’s hand.
McKenzie held her hand still, worried that, if she moved it, she would spoil the moment Zach had created. As it was, she felt safe and secure next to him on the porch. She decided to ask another question.
“How can you say that God has blessed you when He took your parents from you?”
“I do miss my parents; I think about them often and wish I could have had just one more day with them. I’d give anything for that. But, God is sovereign, and He has a plan. He alone knows why they had to die at such a young age. As a child, it was difficult for me to understand why they died, especially since they both loved the Lord with all their hearts. They served Him, devoted their lives to Him, and raised me to love Him, as well.” Zach paused again. “I was only twelve when they passed away, and I remember not being able to stop crying for days. Later, I was taken to the orphanage. I had my pa’s Bible—the one I use to this day,” Zach said, patting the worn volume in his lap. “I began reading it from beginning to end. I didn’t want to miss anything. I wanted to find out why God had let them die. I remember the first time I read the verse in Romans that says, ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ Finally, I stopped asking God why and focused on the fact that He had a reason. Even though I didn’t know what it was, He had a reason, and that was good enough for me. Besides, who was I to argue with the One who spoke the world into existence?”
Even in the dim light of the candle flickering on the table beside them, McKenzie could see the emotion in Zach’s eyes. She imagined him only eight years older than Davey and losing his parents. He’d been carted off to an orphanage. His parents were gone. “But then God took Davey’s mother from you, too,” she said quietly.
Zach looked up at her with a surprised expression. “Yes, I do miss Davey’s ma and pa,” he said. “I forgot to tell you this, since I tend to forget, myself, but I adopted Davey. His pa, Will Mitchell, was my best friend. We met at the orphanage in Chicago and later decided to come out West together. My pa had always dreamed of owning his own ranch but never had the chance. It had become a dream of mine, as well, and Will thought it was a great idea, too. He later married Bess, and they had Davey. When Davey was one year old, they both died of the fever—first Bess, then Will. On his deathbed, Will made me promise that I would adopt Davey and raise him as my own. I never had any siblings, and Will and I were like brothers. There was no way I would not make that promise to him. I had already grown to love Davey like my own son, anyway.”
McKenzie attempted to hide her shock. Davey was adopted? She never would have guessed it. “So, then, you weren’t married before?” she asked. Somehow, knowing that she didn’t have to compete with the memory of another woman would make her life easier.
“You are my first and only wife, McKenzie,” Zach said, squeezing her hand again.
McKenzie gulped. She may be his first wife, but she knew she wouldn’t be his only one. “I had no idea Davey was adopted,” she said.
“I forget that he is adopted most of the time, too. Because of my love for him, and because of the large part he plays in my life, he is truly mine,” said Zach. “He looks a lot like his parents—an equal mix, I would say—but he acts like me in a lot of ways. Maybe that’s because I’ve raised him.” Zach turned to look at McKenzie. “He sure has taken to you.”
“Yes,” McKenzie said, chuckling softly. “He asked me right after we were married if he could call me Ma.”
“That sounds like Davey,” Zach agreed.
“So, did you want to marry so that Davey would have a mother?” McKenzie asked. It hadn’t mattered before what his motives had been, but now, oddly, it did.
“I did want Davey to have a mother,” Zach conceded, “but that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to get married. I wanted to have someone special with whom to spend the rest of my life. I saw how much my pa loved my ma, and I prayed God would give me a wife to love like that.”
“So, you took seriously all the things Reverend Eugene said at our wedding ceremony about loving and serving each other and all of that?” McKenzie asked. She was thankful that she no longer felt nervous around Zach. In fact, sitting with him on the porch and having this discussion with him made her feel as though she’d known him all her life.
“Yes, I took it very seriously, McKenzie. You see, a marriage that is founded on God’s principles is a marriage that lasts.”
McKenzie doubted that was true in all cases, and she knew that, whether or not their marriage was founded on God’s principles, it would soon come to an end.
“Everything we ever need to know about anything is in the Bible. Everything we face, God understands. He created marriage, so He knows firsthand the good and the bad that comes with that commitment.”
“Really?” McKenzie didn’t know that such a wealth of knowledge could be found in the Bible.
“Yes, really.”
“How do you know all this?” she asked.
“I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know God by reading His Word,” Zach said. “I won’t know Him completely until I go to spend eternity with Him, but I want to learn all I can while I’m here on earth. So, I spend a lot of time reading His Word, praying, and worshipping Him. He’s my life.”